Fellowship opportunities: 

Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center’s
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

The Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center’s (PI-CASC’s) Summer Undergraduate
Research Fellowship (SURF) program is designed to provide interested undergraduates the
opportunity to gain valuable research experience, improve their skills in climate science, and
expand their knowledge of environmental issues in Hawaiʻi and Guam, working with a faculty
mentor on a climate-related research project that is aligned with the mission of the PI-CASC
University Consortium. That mission aims to provide the best science available on climate
change and other landscape-scale stressors that are impacting natural and cultural resources
across the Pacific Basin. Depending on their location, students who are accepted will be paired
with an available researcher at the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) at Mānoa, UH Hilo, or the
University of Guam (UOG) whose field of expertise and ongoing research in climate science
and/or adaptation complements the expressed interests of the student.

Part of a network of eight regional centers established by the US Department of the Interior, PI-
CASC is run as a partnership between the US Geological Survey and a regionally-based

university consortium led by UH Mānoa with UH Hilo and the UOG as members. Research
project topics that PI-CASC has funded stretch from the mountains to the sea, from forests to
fishponds, from rainfall to streamflow, from shorelines to sea levels. The Center also supports
building capacity for the future, creating opportunities for students from all ethnic and academic
backgrounds to gain important tools for conducting science and knowledge co-production for
future research, management, and/or policymaking.
Student Eligibility for SURF
This fellowship is open to any undergraduate freshman, sophomore, or junior currently enrolled
at any of the UH system campuses or UOG, or currently enrolled at another accredited four-year
institution but graduated from a high school in Hawaiʻi or Guam. In all its programs, PI-CASC is
committed to increasing the diversity of the workforce in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific and embraces
individuals of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, gender identities, sexual orientations,
disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, job classifications, veteran
status types, and income and socioeconomic status types. All are encouraged to apply.

Program Details and Expectations for Students
• The SURF Program runs from June 8 to Aug 14 (10 weeks).
• Fellows must commit to working full-time (40 hours per week) for the entire program.
• Fellows must attend a half-day orientation, and 1-2 professional development workshops.
• Fellows are required to write a short report detailing their summer accomplishments and
any planned future applications of the work (further projects, publications, etc.).
• Fellows are required to present their research at a final SURF Symposium in August.
• A stipend of $6000 will be provided in support of 10 weeks of summer research training.
Application Process for Students
To apply for this opportunity, please collect the following and submit to Dr. Rachel Lentz at
rlentz@hawaii.edu (as a single PDF) by February 14, 2020:
• Cover sheet with:
• name, email, address (campus, summer, or permanent), phone number
• 2-3 general areas of interest in climate science, as related to natural or cultural resources
(e.g. sea-level rise, changes in precipitation, drought, changing forests and watersheds,
coastal hazards adaptation, vegetation adaptation, coastal ecosystems, biocultural
adaptation, indigenous agroforestry and aquaculture, island hydrology, ridge-to-reef
ecosystems, water quality, ecosystem services, coral reef health, ocean acidification,
biodiversity, climatology, microbiology, etc.)
• Letter of recommendation from a faculty member familiar with your abilities
• Current resume
• Unofficial college transcript
• 500-word essay on the following topic:
• What inspired your interest in climate science or climate adaptation? How do you see a
changing climate impacting you?
Contacts & Notification
For any questions about the SURF program, please contact Dr. Rachel Lentz at
rlentz@hawaii.edu. Notification of acceptance and student/mentor pairing will be emailed
between March 15 and April 15, 2020.

Program Details and Expectations for Mentors
• The SURF Program runs from June 8 to Aug 14 (10 weeks).
• Mentors should identify a project (or a defined portion of a larger endeavor) in their science
area appropriate for an undergraduate to tackle within 10 weeks.
• Mentors should plan to incorporate the fellow into their lab/work area and commit to
supporting the fellow’s work and participation for the entire program duration.
• Mentors should arrange for regular interactions with the fellow for problem solving and
project supervision, and oversee/approve the final project write-up and oral presentation.
• Mentors should plan to attend the final SURF Symposium in August, and one of the
student professional development workshops.
• Mentors and students will be paired based on shared research interests and/or through
identification of a particular student by a mentor in the application (see Application
Process, below). Mentors will review PI-CASC’s recommended pairing before the
student is informed.
• A stipend of $6000 will be provided to the fellow in support of 10 weeks of summer
research training.

Application Process for Mentors
Researchers interested in mentoring a SURF student should write a short description (~300
words) detailing an available project and the experience the student will have working with them
and/or their group. Send to Dr. Rachel Lentz at rlentz@hawaii.edu by February 14, 2020.
If a potential mentor already has an understanding with a possible fellow for summer work,
please indicate in both the mentor and student applications that the pairing is pre-arranged, and
we will work to accommodate you both.

Contacts & Notification
For any questions about the SURF program, please contact Dr. Rachel Lentz at
rlentz@hawaii.edu. Notification of acceptance and student/mentor pairing will be emailed
between March 15 and April 15, 2020.

________________________________________________

Harvard Forest VIRTUAL Summer Research Program
May 24 – August 6, 2021

Application Deadline: Friday, February 19, 2021 at 9:00AM ET

We seek a diverse group of undergraduate students

from a variety of undergraduate programs across the country to join
an immersive, virtual research experience, connecting students, mentors,

and researchers in the pursuit of scientific inquiry through
Research: Work collaboratively to solve environmental problems using

scientific methods.

Education: Bridge from student to scientist: build marketable skills,

learn how to use and understand data.

Community: Join scientists at a world-class research hub to expand your network.

11 week paid residential internship opportunity
$9,350 stipend, inclusive of support for living and home
office expenses
Apply at:
Application Deadline: Friday, February 19, 2021 at 9:00AM ET
Questions? Contact hf-srpe@fas.harvard.edu

__________________________________________________

Director's Fellowship Program of USFWS
If we are not subject to COVID restrictions, the position will be stationed in Honolulu. If COVID restrictions persist, it will be a remote position. It is a continuation of our work last year on Oahu, working with USGS to develop a database, mapping products, and outreach for Wedge-tailed Shearwater. The work in 2021 would focus on a second main Hawaiian Island.   

ACE: USFWS DFP Wedge-tailed Shearwater Colony Database, Mapping, and Outreach, HI (DFP-LR1-09) - Honolulu, HI - American Conservation Experience - EPIC Jobs

Summary: The Directorate Fellows Program (DFP) is a Direct Hire Authority Program that includes an 11-week Fellowship project for current students at the rising senior undergraduate or graduate school level. Upon successful completion of the Fellowship program, along with degree conferral, participants may be directly appointed without competition to full time, permanent positions. The U.S. Fi...

usaconservation.applicantpool.com

https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/512898.html

The deadline is very close, unfortunately: applications are due next Friday January 12th. There are two stages. The applicant must first apply to qualify, and will immediately receive an email that will qualify them to complete the second stage of the application for specific positions. Please note that these DFP positions are a unique opportunity, as successful fellows will receive non-competitive federal status for a period of time after their internship.

___________________________________________

The University of Hawaii System Common Scholarship 

Application is still available online for the 2021-2022 academic year. Students attending any
University of Hawaii campus are encouraged to apply in order to be  considered for system and campus scholarships.*

Please encourage your students to apply by the March 1, 4 p.m. (HST)
deadline*

If you have been asked to serve as a reference, please remember that
March 8, 4 p.m. is your deadline to complete the student's online
recommendation.*

Students are also encouraged to complete their 2021-2022 Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1 in order to be
considered for the maximum amount of scholarships.

More information and application information can be found at:
www.hawaii.edu/scholarships

Please email scholars@hawaii.edu with any questions, or call (808) 956-
6203.

*Refer to the UH Manoa New Warrior & Presidential website for details
and deadlines:
https://www.hawaii.edu/fas/info/nws.php

All other UH Manoa scholarships require separate applications. Refer to
the UH Manoa Scholarships page for more information:
https://www.hawaii.edu/fas/info/scholarships.php

________________________________________________

Postdoc opportunities: Contact nrem1@ctahr.hawaii.edu for further information 

• http://stephaniepau.weebly.com/open-postdoc-position.html
  
  
  Recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to work on an NSF-funded project beginning July/August 2021.
  
  Project Summary: Leaf phenology and growing season length are thought to be primary factors controlling the terrestrial carbon cycle by setting the length of time available for photosynthesis and plant growth. Yet in the tropics there is a year-round growing season and a diversity of phenological strategies, thus it is unclear how variation in GPP is tied to changes in leaf phenology. New satellite measurements of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) are now widely available, providing a proxy for GPP across large extents at repeated intervals. Studies using satellite SIF are rapidly accumulating, but global and continental scale patterns have not been linked to processes occurring at the plot-scale such as differences in species composition and changes in leaf phenology, reproductive activity, and woody growth.  This project aims to integrate research with citizen-science, and will synthesize ground-based phenology data, PhenoCam observations, unmanned aerial vehicle hyperspectral and LiDAR measurements, and satellite SIF to investigate the relationship between leaf phenology, climatic seasonality, and productivity. Work  will focus on two distinct tropical forest habitats on the island of Hawaiʻi – Laupāhoehoe, a montane wet forest, and Pālamanui, a lowland dry forest.  Results from this work will help disentangle the relationship between productivity and phenology in diverse tropical forests, advance our understanding of site-specific differences underlying broad scale variation in satellite observations, and broaden the participation in STEM by underrepresented groups such as Pacific Islanders.
  
  This is a 2-year position that is 75% research and 25% outreach (developing citizen-science data collection with the Teaching Change Program) based at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL or the Institute for Pacific Islands Forestry in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, with funding to travel between locations. Interested applicants should send questions, a CV and short cover letter describing previous remote sensing experience, and the names and contact information for 3 references to:  HawaiiPhenologyPostdoc@gmail.com.